Amaranthine
by RabbitBleachFan
Summary: Everlasting and unfading - forever, for eternity, and beyond. A set of AU UlquiHime drabbles/chapters, narrating their life together. Fluff and cute all the way through. Chapter 9 - On Top of the World.
1. Intro

_Intro_

Ulquiorra had realized early in their relationship that he would never truly understand her. Every time he thought that he had her neatly wrapped up in a box, she untied the ribbon, tore off the paper, and danced on the package until it had collapsed and fallen apart.

When she showed the signs of "I'm about to do something completely crazy", he thought he could guess what it would be – there were only so many ridiculous things to do in the world, after all. However, he soon discovered that she found a way to make them infinite.


	2. Zoo

_Zoo_

The first time they had gone to the zoo, he figured they would walk around, she would squeal at some of the cute animals, he would buy her some stuffed imitation of one, and that would be it.

He hadn't realized that the zookeepers were showing off the koalas and letting people hold them. Also, he never could've guessed that she would be so absorbed in the grey bear that she would try to take it with her when they moved on.

Of course, the zookeeper had been suspicious – what sane, grown woman would forget that she was supposed to give back a zoo animal to its caretaker?

Ulquiorra knew, though, that Orihime was neither completely sane, nor was she completely grown up. He had apologized to the zookeeper for his girlfriend's forgetfulness, and had then distracted the young woman with cotton candy and flamingos.


	3. Romantic Movies

_Romantic Movies_

When she had convinced him to go to a romantic movie, had found them spots in the back, and lifted the armrest to snuggle against his side, the emerald-eyed man had become somewhat wary. He would never expect her to do anything in public, especially a nearly full movie theater, but her side was completely pressed against him. Also, her head rested on his shoulder, her hair tickling his neck and the clean, flowery smell of her hair wafting up to him.

He had told her before that when she did that, it drove him crazy. It was incredibly difficult to sit still when everything in him wanted to run his fingers through that endless, beautiful, silky hair, hold the stands in his fist, and tilt her head into the perfect position for him to kiss her until she was breathless and blushing (he had left all that part out when he had told her, though).

Nonetheless, Orihime had merely smiled at him occasionally and had made no other move whatsoever but to snuggle with him, and so he had endured the slow torture until the end of the movie.

As they left the theater, Ulquiorra had finally become content with his deduction that she had simply had the desire to snuggle (as she often did). She was cute like that...

While he had been digging in his pockets for his keys, he hadn't noticed her inching closer until the fabric of his shirt was in her clutches and she had pulled him down from his staggering height of ten-centimeters-taller-than-her and met his lips with hers. In shock, he had dropped his keys as she pressed forward until he was flattened against his car with her chest pushing against his. Only a moment had passed before he reciprocated, returning her advances with equal frenzy.

Neither of them had noticed that one of had stepped on his keys and activated the car alarm until a security guard from the theater had come out and chastised them, reminding them that this was a _family_ theater and there could be "none a'that smoochin'!"

When he had wanted to talk about "the movie theater fiasco," he had thought she would avoid him and try to get him off topic. Instead, she sat down and immediately apologized. Blushing, she had admitted that after watching the movie, she had wondered how long it had been since they had really _shown_ each other how much they loved one another, and it had made her feel not good enough, and she had needed him to assure her that she was just as wanted and just as loved as the girl in the movie.

After he nodded in understanding, there had been a pause. Just before she could say something more, he had reached across the couch, pulled her into his lap, tangled his fingers in her hair, and kissed her languidly, his lips the lava from his live volcano heart (_listening to Owl City always makes me metaphorical_).


	4. Her Friends

_Her Friends_

When she had invited him out to dinner with her friends (who had never really liked him), she had messed with his hair and his clothes and straightened his tie when he picked her up and then again when they had gotten out of the car. He hadn't really minded – it had given him a chance to look at her in her fitted, silky off-white dress, and her shape beneath it. Nonetheless, he had known she was nervous.

It had been a group date – Ichigo had Rukia (engaged), Uryu had Nemu (also engaged), Tatsuki had Yasutora (three months married), Keigo had Muchiru (sort of dating. No one could ever figure out why she liked the dorky brown-haired boy, but the shy girl simply shrugged and said he made her laugh, which no one had ever witnessed), Mizuiro had Chizuru (barely dating. Everyone in the group knew that despite that innocent face, Mizuiro was a player, and Chizuru had long been suspected of being lesbian, despite the fact she denied it), and finally there was Gin and Rangiku (who had been married for two years and had their first kid four months on the way).

When the hostess lead them to the large, round table, Orihime was greeted with the utmost love and friendliness. Meanwhile, Ulquiorra had stood by with his hands calmly in his pockets, noticing that not a single one of them made any reference to him or moved to greet him.

Once the hellos were done, the amber-haired woman grabbed her boyfriend's hand and pulled him to sit beside her to her left. Somehow, it had comforted him and assured him that even if they ignored him, she wouldn't.

While ordering, she had been asked what she wanted. Unsure, she had simply replied, "Meat. I want something with meat." Instead of asking the waiter, she had squeezed her boyfriend's hand and inquired, "Ulquiorra, what's on there that has meat?"

Glancing at the menu, he had read off a list of the various fish and beef and chicken options that the high-class restaurant served while the others relayed their own orders. When he was done, she looked so confused and adorable that he couldn't stand it. Pecking her high cheekbone, he whispered into her ear, "Get the chicken fettuccine. If you spill, it won't stain your dress."

Either ignoring or not noticing her friend's staring, Orihime grinned at her boyfriend, squealed, "You're a total genius!" and finally ordered.

While Orihime talked with her friends, she tended to gesture wildly, but tonight she kept her hands in her lap, holding her man's right hand on her leg. He was surprised that she wasn't blushing every shade of red from the area of contact, but he had no objections. Besides, her hands holding his were shaking nervously, and he feared that if he pulled away, she would hyperventilate.

Only when their food came did she release his hand, but whenever she paused to talk she would cling to him again, shaking like a leaf.

Ulquiorra couldn't stand her like this. She was terrified, all because they didn't like him. She was so scared that they wouldn't approve of him, and he could feel it as if the fear were flowing between their fingers.

When she ordered a sweet white wine, he wondered if she would relax once she had a little alcohol in her system. Another part of him also wondered if she would go giggly and loopy like she had the last time she drank. Responsible as always, he refused a drink when the waiter asked and watched with extreme caution as to how many times the man refilled her glass.

Unlike how she had always acted when she was tipsy, she settled in her chair after the first two glasses, solemn. When her friends had made jokes, she had managed to smile a bit, but otherwise remained unengaged.

A soft jazz band had begun to play and a glittering chandelier was lowered into a large, open spot in the center of the restaurant. Immediately, the couples at the table had gotten up to dance, and out of peer pressure and obligation, Orihime had asked her boyfriend if it was okay if they went, too.

Knowing she was nervous enough already, Ulquiorra had agreed. Just as they arrived at the marble dance floor, the band began to play a romantic, slow song. He was aware that she tended to get embarrassed when dancing to such songs (especially in public) and was about to ask if she wanted to wait. To his surprise, she rested against him, her hands laying on his shoulders as her eyes closed.

Careful and gentle, he had held her for the duration of the song, and the three after that, even though the tempos increased. All she wanted to do, though, was stand in his arms, and he had been glad to accommodate her.

After a while, her legs had gotten tired, and they had returned to the table to sit. She had sipped another glass of wine, and she had become even more quiet.

All the while, Ulquiorra had held her hand, brushing his thumb over the back of her hand in a soothing motion. He glanced around, inspecting the colorful attire of her friends and then looking back to his girlfriend in her beautiful, shimmering, light-cream dress.

It had been that moment that he had realized how beautiful she looked in white.

However, her friends had nearly interrupted that thought by their boisterous return. All smiling, they had sat down and once again began chatting. They had been talking about why they liked their significant other or something gooey like that, but the amber-haired woman and her boyfriend had mostly ignored the conversation, until...

"So, Orihime, why do you like _Ulquiorra_?" Ichigo had asked.

Ulquiorra had hoped the woman beside him hadn't heard the distain in her friend's voice when the orange-headed moron had spoken his name, but when her face reddened and her frown deepened, he knew she had. For a moment, she was silent, and he feared she would cry.

Instead, Orihime had gripped the arm of her chair and tightened her hold on her boyfriend's hand. With defensive, sparking chestnut eyes, she had glared with defiance at her circle of friends and snapped out of the blue, "Look, I know you don't approve of him. I've known forever, so you can stop pretending for my sake, because you all _suck _at it! You've never even _tried_ to like him, have you?"

Before they could have responded, she refuted, "No, you haven't! You may think he's a mistake, but I don't! The least you could do is get it into your thick heads that it's _my_ choice!"

Hesitating, Uryu had begun, "Orihime, we're just worried. You know that."

"Worried?" the amber-haired woman had scoffed. "Worried my heinie! Every time you think I'm not looking or listening, you glare at him and gossip between yourselves about him!"

Again, they tried to calm her, but again, she interrupted, "You want to know why I like him? Fine! He's gentle, he's kind and sweet, he _listens _even when I don't make sense, and he's never _once_ tried to control me or change who I am!"

Getting on a roll, Orihime had belittled, "All you kept yammering about how you like how your other looks. I like how he looks, but I love how he looks _at_ _me_. He doesn't look at me like I'm crazy when I do something dumb and he doesn't give me a pitiful stare when I'm down about something!" Voice raising, she accused, "And y'know what? None of you have ever given me a chance to even explain why I've been down! I can't remember a single time when I could cry on any of your shoulders before you told me to cheer up and steered me away from whatever I was upset about!

"Ulquiorra's not like that! True, he cheers me up, but he listens to why I'm upset and instead of distracting me, and he _comforts_ me!" The amber-haired woman had gone on, bursting, "When Sora died, none of you would let me even talk about it! You all thought I would be too depressed if I dwelled on it, so you never listened when I brought it up! Ulquiorra was the only one who held me while I was crying, and you have the _gall_ to look down on him!"

Urgently, Tatsuki had urged in a low hiss, "Orihime, calm down! You're shouting!"

With a defiant snort, Orihime had retorted, "So what? Now you can _finally_ hear me, you _still_ don't want to listen! I-!"

Setting three twenties on the table, Ulquiorra had stood and announced, "I'm taking you home."

"What? !" the autumn-eyed woman screeched. Although she didn't struggle as she was pulled to her feet, by the time they were a few meters from the table she seemed to realize what was happening. Pulling away, she turned back to her friends and protested, "Ulquiorra, I was just about to give 'em a piece of my mind! Why-"

A pale hand had grasped her elbow and spun her around, his arms securing her against his chest. Leaning down, he had whispered with authority against her earlobe, "I am taking you home. You are intoxicated, _mi querida_. I do not like their behavior any more than you do, but if you continue, you will regret it in the morning."

After fighting him for a moment, Orihime had relaxed entirely into his gentle hold. Eyes drooping, she nodded and sighed. "Okay," she peeped.

With that, Ulquiorra had slid an arm behind her back to ensure she would stay upright and begun to guide her out of the restaurant.

That night, he had carried her into her house (being that she had passed out seconds after getting into the car) and lay her in her bed. Before he pulled the covers over her, he had paused to look at her.

Her amber hair caressed her shoulders, contrasting with the white of her dress. She was so warm – from the heat in her blood to the color of her skin. It made the clean, pure white of her clothes shine. In that moment, she was a star in the midnight sky.

Sitting on the bed beside her slumbering form, the emerald-eyed man couldn't help but ask himself if he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. It wasn't an issue of whether or not he loved her, because he knew he loved her more than anything. However, marriage and dating were two very different things.

It wasn't as if he didn't know her intimately and was worried he would discover some deep secret about her. They had been acquaintances in high school, they had become best friends in collage, and a few weeks after graduation, they had gone on their first date. Since then, almost three years had passed.

He had thought about it before. However, he had felt it was too early at the time.

Now... well, now was different.

Knowing she would probably be hungover when she woke up, Ulquiorra opted to sleep on the couch instead of leaving and coming back in the morning. Taking a blanket from the closet, he had lain on the couch and slept some, tossing and turning most of the night with his constant thinking.

Bright and early the next morning, the doorbell had rung, jolting the pale man from his fitful slumber. Scrambling to make himself at least somewhat presentable, he had answered the door, unsurprised to see Ichigo, Rukia, Tatsuki, Uryu, and Rangiku – all of Orihime's closest friends. They, however were surprised to see him, and he could see it on their faces. Not letting them comment, he invited, "You can come in. She's still asleep. I'll put on some coffee."

With that, he had left them in the entryway, door open, and headed into the kitchen. After starting the coffee machine, the emerald-eyed male had returned to the living room to find that everyone had sat down. Ichigo, Rukia, and Uryu sat on the couch, the blanket that had been a mess folded neatly atop of back, and all of them looked much more relaxed.

_They thought we slept together_, Ulquiorra had realized, thinking with some resentment. He knew they had no faith in him, and had probably thought he had pressured her into it or taken advantage of her drunk self, but the implication in itself still bothered him. Without comment, he had questioned, "Why are you here?"

Uryu spoke first. "We came to apologize. For everything," he answered.

"Hime was right," Tatsuki chimed in. Crossing her thin arms, she admitted, "None of us were fair to either of you."

Rangiku nodded. "Even me, which is kind of ironic, considering I went through exactly what you and Hime had when I started dating Gin," she divulged, ashamed.

Huffing, Ichigo attempted to explain, "It's just... Orihime's always been a little air-headed. When she picked you, we were all a little suspicious and nervous about it because of the reputation you'd gotten during our school years." When his fiancé glared at him, he clarified, "I'm not saying it was right to criticize you like we did. I'm just trying to explain because I'm sorry, and I want you and Orihime to understand what I was mistaken about."

"Orihime's also right," Rukia added. "You _do_ respect her – incredibly so. I know that others who had been interested in her were after her for her looks. I've never seen you act even remotely as..."

"Licentious?" Ulquiorra suggested dryly.

"Yeah, that," the tiny woman had agreed. "Aside from apologizing, I also wanted to thank you. Again, Hime was right – when she went through that whole Sora thing, none of us really wanted to talk about it with her. We were all worried that she would over-think it and get depressed. I'm glad you were there, because otherwise she probably would have gotten depressed," she confessed. "I'm ashamed that I didn't realize that she really needed someone to listen to her at the time..."

The others nodded in silent agreement.

"What we mean to say, Ulquiorra," Uryu finished, "is that we would like to get to know you, for Orihime's sake."

"We want to put aside all pre-decided misconceptions," Ichigo added.

Shrugging, Tatsuki murmured, "And, y'know – start over, in a sense."

A pause followed. After a long time, Ulquiorra nodded. "Good. I'm glad," he stated genuinely. Hearing a beep from the kitchen, he asked, "Would any of you like coffee? She will be up soon, and she'd like to hear all that from you, I'm sure."

Everyone but Rangiku nodded and thanked him, and therefore he went to the kitchen, grabbed six mugs, the box of sugar cubes, cream from the fridge, and the coffee pot, and dexterously returned and set everything on the table. After serving everyone, he sat in the empty emerald armchair, sipping his own black coffee.

He couldn't help but be surprised when Tatsuki asked, "What do you do? Like, what's your job?"

Although Ulquiorra had known Orihime would be nervous to talk about him with her friends, he hadn't imagined their conversations would be so limited. Nonetheless, he replied, "I work at the arboretum and botanical gardens downtown."

"Doing what?" Rukia inquired eagerly.

Shrugging, he answered, "I lead the botanical tours on weekdays."

"I thought you had a degree in botany of some sort," Ichigo pointed out.

Ulquiorra resisted the sarcasm on the tip of his tongue. Could he not make the connection? However, he supposed the orange-haired man would think that the only use for any kind of science degree was to have a reason to hide in a lab every second of the day. "I do. I also have a minor in English and an associates in music theory, but yes – botany is my major," he explained as if it was nothing.

"Wow," Rangiku scoffed, questioning, "How did you ever do all that in four years?"

Sipping his coffee, the pale man responded, "No social life."

After a moment of chuckling, Ichigo asked, "What do you _want_ to do?"

At this, Ulquiorra paused. He hadn't thought about it much, but what he had thought about were most likely pipe dreams. Nonetheless, he confessed, "I would like to travel, I suppose. Traveling and cataloging botanical specimens is most likely every botanist's wish. Nonetheless, I am content where I am, though I would like to someday work in a more scientific field, studying plants' life-cycles and properties and potential purposes."

"Pardon me for bringing something like this up," Uryu interjected, "but where does Orihime fit into all this?"

Shrugging, the emerald-eyed man answered, "Wherever she wants."

"What does _that_ mean?" Tatsuki snorted.

Glancing at the spiky-haired woman, he clarified, "It means what it means. Wherever Orihime wishes to be, that is where I will make room for her – no exceptions."

A pause followed, during which the guests all smiled amongst themselves at the sentiment and nodded.

Before he could be asked anything more, a loud gasp, followed by the slamming of the bedroom door, alerted them that the amber-haired woman had woken up.

Immediately, Ulquiorra set down his coffee, stood, and attempted to enter his girlfriend's room. Finding that she had pressed herself against it, he called through the door, "_Querida_, it's all right."

As expected (for once), she squeaked in panic, "How did I get home? ! Oh, gosh, I'm not even presentable or anything! What the cookies are they doing here? !"

Calm as ever, the emerald-eyed man explained, "I drove you home. You have all the time you need to get dressed. They're here to talk to you."

"Well, I don't want to talk to them!" Orihime protested in a high-pitched, juvenile tone.

She was embarrassed and worried, and Ulquiorra could tell. Sighing, he uttered lowly, "_Mujer, necesitas a escuchar tus amigos. Yo quiero que los escuches._" She had once told him that she was completely irresistible when he spoke in Spanish. Of course, it was always more effective when he could whisper it against her ear (she blushed every time – it was so cute), but it had proved to work before, so...

A minute later, she emerged, dressed in a blue t-shirt and black sweatpants. Halfheartedly, she frowned at him before glancing at her friends, nervous.

Taking her hands in his, he looked her adamantly in in the eye and promised, "_Todo está bien, mi amor._"

After meeting his gaze, Orihime giggled and replied, "I have no idea what you just said right now, but okay." When she glanced at her friends, she realized they all had coffee. With big, adoring brown eyes, she stared at her boyfriend.

"Sit," he urged, offering a slight smile. "I will make some for you."

"With Nutella?" she inquired hopefully.

Nodding, Ulquiorra agreed, "With Nutella."

Cheered up, Orihime grinned and gave his hands a thanking squeeze before dropping her hands to her sides. As her boyfriend went into kitchen, the jittery woman skittered further into the living room and sat in the emerald armchair.

Ulquiorra started a fresh pot of coffee, measured a tablespoon of Nutella into her favorite mug (the one with Hello Kitty on it), and added the hazelnut creamer she loved so much. While he waited for the coffee to be done, he had stood by the kitchen door, listening as her friends explained what they had told him. All the while, he never heard her voice.

By the time the coffee was done, they had finished their speech. Out of curiosity, the emerald-eyed man had waited for a moment, wondering what she would say.

Finally: "Good, because I love him. I would've hated to lose all of you, but... if I'd had to choose, I would've chosen Ulquiorra. I'm glad I don't have to do that."

Ulquiorra could think of nothing but how beautiful she had looked in white.


	5. Proposal

**Thanks to Cerice Belle and Ugnyte for reviewing!**

**Huzzah!**

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_Proposal_

It had taken months of planning. After he planned _how_ he would do it and _when_, he had to find the perfect ring. Being himself, he had always had a substantial savings account, so price was no matter of concern. However, it had to be _perfect_, he decided. It not only had to encompass his love for her, but also what he loved most about her. It was a challenge beyond anything he had ever attempted.

When he had found a ring with a heart-shaped gem outlined by smaller, equally brilliant jewels, he had known that it was the one. Deciding that the band should be white gold, the outer heart be diamonds, and the inner heart be a pink diamond, he had revisited his plan while waiting the two weeks for the specially made ring to arrive at the store.

He would propose to her on the three year anniversary of their first date – August seventh. After treating her to her favorite restaurant, he would take her on a walk along the beach at sunset. When the last of the golden sunlight would illuminate her lovely face, he would profess his love for her and propose.

When August seventh came, he had arrived at her house at five fifty-five just so he could have five minutes to collect himself.

This was it. He was going to ask her – the love of his life, his missing piece, the yin to his yang, the day to his night – to marry him and spend the rest of her life with him. He was going to ask her to be his permanently. He was going to ask her to build a life – a family – with him. He fondled the red, velvet box inside his pants pocket and sighed. Finally, he knocked on the door.

Soon after, she appeared in the doorway. Her sunset hair was done in a messy bun, and a strapless, emerald-green dress the shade of his eyes hugged her fantastic form. As always, the neckline covered the valley of her breasts completely, and the skirt lay just beneath her knees. She had never had to reveal herself to make him breathless.

After a long moment, his emerald orbs met her autumn ones and he uttered, "You look fantastic."

Orihime smiled and giggled. "Thanks. The lady at the store said that this color looked good on me," she murmured, blushing and glancing down at the sparkling emerald dress.

"It does," he affirmed. Holding out his pale hand, he inquired, "Shall we go?"

"Yes!" the amber-haired woman nodded. "We shall."

After escorting her to the car, they drove in peaceful, comfortable silence to the fancy, incredibly shiny restaurant on the beach. Crystals hung from every single inch of the ceiling, and the walls were painted shiny and gold. And, as if that wasn't enough, the waiters and waitresses all talked like opera singers.

When the young man came to take their order, Ulquiorra could tell all too well that Orihime was trying her hardest not to laugh. It wasn't that the man was a bad singer – he was actually very good – but his voice was higher than the average male's... as in to say he sounded like a girl. Once he finally left, the amber-haired woman snorted and burst out laughing.

Reaching across the table, Orihime took his hands in hers and grinned, "Thank you for bringing me here. I know how expensive it is."

"I know how much you love it," the emerald-eyed man shrugged, "and it is our three-year anniversary. Nothing is too expensive for this occasion."

Giddy and giggling, the autumn-eyed young woman squeed, "You're so sweet it burns!" Her cheeks were, indeed, burning, but she had meant it as a positive statement.

With the slightest smirk, Ulquiorra leaned back in his chair and merely listened while she reminisced her favorite parts about the past three years.

During one of her longer pauses, the opera-singing man-girl returned with their food. This time, Orihime began giggling while he was in the middle of the wine list. Ulquiorra thought she was totally adorable, but the waiter was unamused. Nose in the air, he strutted away after the pale man refused alcoholic drinks for the both of them.

Blushing, Orihime whispered, "I think I hurt his feelings."

"You come here because it makes you laugh," Ulquiorra assured quietly. "If he's so absorbed in himself that he can't be happy about the fact that he made you smile, it's his fault, not yours,_mujer_."

Comforted, the young woman moved her chair around the round table so she could sit next to her boyfriend. "I love you," she murmured. Although he didn't respond verbally, his pale lips met her rosy cheek, and she knew he was saying it internally.

After supper, they shared a slice of twelve-layer chocolate cake (she said it was even better than the opera singing). He paid the obscene bill without batting an eyelash and guided her out of the restaurant. Dropping off their shoes in the car, they stepped onto the beach just as the sky began to turn pink.

Hand in hand, they strolled along the shore, the waves lapping at their toes and the breeze swaying their hair. Even though she wasn't cold, Orihime snuggled into his side, wrapping her arm around his back. In kind, he let her hand move and rested his arm around her shoulders, playing with her hair and drawing infinity symbols (or figure eights) on her upper arm.

When they moved to the higher beach to avoid the growing waves and the gold light of the setting sun caused her hair to glow, Ulquiorra stopped in his tracks. Butterflies swarmed in his stomach, and his hands shook as he stuffed them into his pockets, but as he looked into her confused, but eternally beautiful chestnut eyes, all of his nervousness drained away.

Taking her left hand in his right and staring deeply at her with sincere emerald eyes, he professed, "I love you. _Querida_, I adore you... more than anything."

His usually monotone voice seemed to lift to a higher tone, even though the pitch of his voice lowered. Smiling, she was about to reciprocate when he cut her off.

"The thought... the thought of being apart from you... ever," Ulquiorra scoffed, "is unbearable. It is said that you are never aware of what you have until it is gone, but I was never aware of what I lacked until it was given to me. I once told you long ago that I liked my life the way it was, but it was a lie. I despised what I was, and I now fear what I had been," he divulged. "All that I was," he confessed, "was me without you.

"My desire," the pale man whispered, "is to never be without you. I want you always with me and always mine to love and to cherish until death do we part."

Orihime's autumn eyes widened as she recognized the words.

Kneeling down on one knee, Ulquiorra drew the red, velvet box from his pocket. When her tearing gaze met his loving emerald one, he opened the box and proposed, "Orihime... will you marry me?"

He had expected her to either burst out crying or go into a fit of giddy laughter. Instead, gasped, clasped her hand over her mouth, and merely stood on the dimming beach, quaking and barely breathing. Her eyes flicked between the shimmering ring and his imploring emerald eyes, unable to speak or think. She hadn't expected a single thing, and she was so shocked she could hardly take in enough air to stay standing.

Finally, after he had waited to patiently for so long, she made a sound. It was nothing more than a meek squeak, but he heard it. Anxious to know her answer, he inquired, "What?"

Inhaling deeply and suddenly, Orihime nodded. So fast and short he almost couldn't tell she had moved at all, she nodded, her breath shuddering against her hand.

Withdrawing the ring from its box, Ulquiorra slipped the band onto the proper finger. He stood, still holding her left hand, and caressed her cheek with his idle fingers. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked, half-teasing her and half-genuinely-concerned.

Again, the amber-haired girl nodded. "Oh, yes," she breathed. A grin inched onto her face and her eyes sparkled. "I am most definitely going to be okay."

After that came the giggling and the crying, all through which he returned her embrace. When she was done crying, then came the kissing and the cuddling under the stars until she fell asleep on his chest. With the utmost caution and adoration, he carried her limp form to the car.

When they arrived at her house, Ulquiorra toted her into the house and lay her gently on the bed. He kissed her forehead and was about to leave when her eyes fluttered open and she smiled.

"Mrs. Orihime Cifer," she murmured, yawning, "I like it." With that, she rolled over and snuggled into her blankets.

Kissing her forehead as she drifted off to sleep, he whispered, "I like it, too."


	6. His Friend

**Thanks to Cerice Belle, hadilu-chan, and ulquihime7980 for reviewing! :D**

**Okay! This one is just funny. XD**

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_His Friend_

The day that Orihime, Rukia, Rangiku, Tatsuki, and Uryu went shopping for her wedding dress, Ulquiorra called up the one friend who he had remained in constant contact with after college (the man called him every Saturday, and more often than not, their chats were actually enjoyable) and invited him to coffee.

Ulquiorra sat in the Starbucks at ten that morning, watching his watch, until the blue-haired, burly male entered. He flirtatiously ordered his coffee from the college-student barista and sat down across from his pale friend.

"Dude!" Grimmjow greeted, flashing a toothy grin. "It's been months since I've seen you!"

"You've been out of the country designing skyscrapers, Grimmjow," Ulquiorra pointed out dryly.

"No excuse, dude – not an excuse!" the blunette chuckled. Gulping his iced coffee, he snickered and asked, "So, what's the occasion?"

_**This** is where it gets interesting_, the pale man thought before divulging, "Orihime and I are engaged."

Slamming down his cup, the muscular man exclaimed, "You finally popped the question? ! _Dude_! Du~ude!" he cackled. "This is ten times beyond awesome! You're finally getting hitched! DUDE!"

"Would you stop saying 'dude?' You sound retarded," Ulquiorra scolded. Sighing, he continued, "Anyways, yes. The wedding will be this coming June."

"So soon?" Grimmjow questioned.

Shrugging, the emerald-eyed man asked, "Why wait?"

"But isn't there the whole paying for the wedding thing? Don't you have to save up or something?" the blunette scoffed.

Nonchalant, Ulquiorra explained, "I have an impressive savings account. She's buying her dress, and whatever's left of that will go to funding the wedding."

"She's buying her own dress?" Grimmjow snorted. "Isn't that, like, thousands upon thousands of dollars? What, has she been saving since she was two?"

The raven-haired man sipped his own coffee, narrating, "Her brother had set aside nearly twenty-thousand dollars for her to start her off after she graduated from college. Since he died her junior year, she used the remainder of his savings to rent her house and other things, and she kept the twenty-thousand as a trust fund." He was talking about the money, but he couldn't help but remember how depressed she had been when her brother had died. It caused him to pause for a moment before he continued, "Anyways, it won't actually be that much. It's going to be a beach wedding, so the reception will probably cost more than the wedding, anyways."

Looking at his friend as if he were a moron, Grimmjow grumbled, "Dude, a beach wedding. In June. In California. Dude, the dreaded June Gloom!"

"The wedding will be in the afternoon when the sun is out," Ulquiorra explained, shrugging, "It won't be too hot or too cold. Afterwards, we have the entire arboretum rented out for the reception. I already have a caterer lined up, Orihime's chosen what she likes off the menu, there's a string quartet, and the invitations are almost ready to be sent out. I even have the honeymoon planned out."

"Honeymoon?" the blue-eyed man questioned. "Dude, you live in California, the awesomest, nicest vacation spot in the U.S. of A! Where are you going to honeymoon that's cooler than here? !"

"We're spending two weeks in Hawaii."

Clicking his tongue, the blunette muttered, "Yep, that'd about do it. You get to see her in her bikini every day, sunset walks on the beach, y'get to watch her hula – damn good idea, bro."

"I'm not done. Afterwards, we spend another two weeks in Paris-"

"City of love and natural aphrodisiacs," Grimmjow interrupted, picking his nails.

"And then we come home to our new house."

After a moment, the spiky-haired man blinked and asked, "New house?"

Ulquiorra nodded. "It's a surprise. It's in the suburbs, great neighborhood, good location, there's a park a block down, and the community center is just a mile away," he divulged, almost smiling at the thought of it. He had found the house by pure chance, and he had gone to see it by himself. It was a beautiful, two-level, big backyard-ed, finished basement-ed, and enormous kitchen-ed house with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. She would love it – he had no doubt about that.

"A house?" Grimmjow questioned, disbelieving. "It sounds like you're already planning for a family."

"We are."

The pale man's reply surprised the blunette. "Um... you _are_? Like, she's got one on the way?"

"No," the emerald-eyed man groaned. "No, she's not pregnant, moron. We've already decided that we want kids, including how many we want," he clarified, smirking slightly, "She's got a list of names as tall as a redwood."

"How many?" Grimmjow inquired cautiously.

"Six," Ulquiorra answered, shrugging, "maybe seven." When his friend's jaw dropped, he added dryly, "Mind you, this is over the course of ten to fifteen years."

Scoffing, the blunette suddenly burst, "Dude, have you ever heard of protection? ! How about birth control, huh? !"

"She doesn't trust birth control."

"Yeah, well there's this marvelous thing called condoms, genius!" Grimmjow yelled.

Noticing that every eye had turned to their table, Ulquiorra sighed and rubbed his temples. "Shut up, Grimmjow. People are staring," he ordered.

Snorting, the muscular man muttered, "Just know this. No way am I being Uncle Grimmjow to _seven_ of _your_ rugrats."

"Of course not," the emerald-eyed male assured, "you'll be Uncle Grimmy, not Uncle Grimmjow."

Grimmjow glared across the table, threatening, "I will kill you dead."

"I'm sure you will, Grimmjow. I'm sure you will. Also," Ulquiorra added, "I called you here to ask you something."

Wary, the blunette asked, "What?"

Without hesitance, the pale man requested, "Will you be my best man?"

"Um... duh." Smirking, Grimmjow leaned back in his chair, sipped his iced coffee, and paused. Finally, he repeated, "But I won't be Uncle Grimmy."

"Understood."

* * *

**Grimmjow is an architect. Originally, Tite Kubo named him after Nicholas Grimmshaw, the famous British/English architect. Therefore, in almost all of my AU stories, Grimmjow follows in his namesake's footsteps. So there.**

**Bunny-chan**


	7. Bachelor ette Parties

**Thanks to lilarin, Guest, Kohryu, Oro Cerice Belle, and ulquihime7980 for reviewing!**

**Enjoy. :D**

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_Bachelor(ette) Parties_

The night before the wedding, both Ulquiorra and Orihime attended bachelor(ette) parties thrown by their friends.

Ulquiorra, who had reluctantly allowed Grimmjow to set everything up after making him swear not to hire a stripper, figured his party would include beer, raunchy jokes, cake, crazy friends from high school, and maybe Grimmjow would try to show a dirty movie. Ulquiorra didn't have any ex-girlfriends for Grimmjow invite just to embarrass him, and he didn't hold any dark, dirty secrets for the blunette to reveal, so he assumed it wouldn't be that bad... as long as Grimmjow hadn't hired a stripper.

As for Orihime, she had left the party planning all to Rangiku and Rukia and Tatsuki, trusting them implicitly about everything.

Because Grimmjow picked him up, Ulquiorra had no idea where his party would take place. When they arrived, emerald eyes glared at the blunette.

Hooters. His bachelor party was at Hooters.

"I hate you."

Grinning, Grimmjow nodded, "I know."

Meanwhile, Orihime came home from party-dress shopping with Tatsuki, wearing her new orange-with-yellow-polkadots sundress, to find that her house had been decked out with pink streamers, gold glitter, and rainbow fruity drinks. Presents were stacked high on the coffee table, and every single female friend she had ever had since high school shouted "SURPRISE!" as soon as she entered.

"Oh my goodness!" Orihime squealed, giggling madly. "This is so fantastic!"

Thus began the hugging and the giggling and the margarita drinking and the laughing and the hugging.

Across town, Grimmjow was looking incredibly amused as he sat in the middle of the party, watching the flustered Ulquiorra greet friends and acquaintances he hadn't seen for years. At the end of one of the waves of people, he questioned, "Where did you find all of these people's addresses?"

"Your princess gave 'em to me from the invitations," the blunette shrugged.

Ulquiorra decided he would have to talk to Orihime about telling Grimmjow _anything_ in the future.

Aside from the busty women with their boobs hanging out of their shirts everywhere, the emerald-eyed man didn't completely dislike the party. After three or four beers, he actually started to like it, and by the time Grimmjow declared that it was time for hot-wings and teasing Ulquiorra about his imminent de-virgin-ness, he really didn't give a damn.

"You've really never had sex? Like... with _anyone_?" Nnoitra scoffed, his speech slurring.

"Nope."

"Not even with your fiancé?" Grimmjow chimed in, nudging his friend with a grin. "I mean... dude! Your girl has an incredible rack, a killer ass, and a smoking form, and you've never gotten _any_ action from her?"

"Nope." Shrugging, Ulquiorra murmured, "Never really got around to it, I guess."

Truth be told, he was somewhat morally opposed to sexual intimacy before marriage, just because that's what his parents (and the private, Catholic elementary and middle schools they had enrolled him in) had taught him. She'd never said a word about it, so he figured she either respected it or agreed with him. However, he and Orihime had done their fair share of kissing with a bit of caressing thrown into the mix (he had groped her butt once and in return she had traced his chest, but that was about as far as it had gone).

Besides, he had never been in a relationship with anyone but her, like how she had never been in a relationship with anyone but him, and their first time with each other would be their first time _ever_. He viewed it as special – something to be shared with each other with the knowledge that they would only ever share that part of themselves with the other.

Also, unlike how his friends were talking, there was no guarantee that he would "get rid of" (as Grimmjow said) his virginity the first night he and Orihime were married, but he let them believe that he had "plans" for their wedding night just so they wouldn't ask him why not. He knew he would wait until she was ready, but he didn't really know how to explain that to Grimmjow (the player), Nnoitra (the married-to-a-model-with-huge-boobs one), Szayel (the gay one), Tesla (the nice-guy-who-was-dating-Nnoitra's-little-sister), or Luppi (the rich, prissy one who paid girls to sleep with him). There were about fifteen other people he had known at some time or another there, including Orihime's male friends (he had made Grimmjow invite them, to be nice), but he didn't really talk to them the entire night.

Back at Orihime's house, she had begun to open presents, and despite the fact she was half-drunk, she blushed terribly with almost every single gift. Some things were nice – little bracelets or necklaces and knickknacks – while others were "for the honeymoon." The "for the honeymoon" things included assorted lingerie, smelly things that made her head spin at the slightest sniff, and a few other things she couldn't and would _never_ use, or even say out loud. Nonetheless, despite her blushing, she thanked everyone for their gifts and mentally made a short list of things to throw away before Ulquiorra could even guess that she had them.

After presents came the short period of time where Rangiku tried to give her sex tips and everyone did their best to stop her before Orihime exploded from embarrassment. Thankfully, Nanao hurriedly changed the topic to children – a subject Orihime was much more comfortable with.

"I want many babies," the amber-haired woman stated, giggling, "Babies are so cute!"

"But they don't stay babies, Hime," Retsu reminded gently, sipping her strawberry daiquiri.

"Oh, I know! Which is why I want a lot – so I can always have a baby to snuggle!" Orihime laughed.

Tatsuki snorted. "And how does Ulquiorra feel about this ambition of yours?"

"He's all for it. We talked about it a few months ago – I'm thinking six and he's thinking seven," the soon-to-be-bride smiled. "He's so encouraging about it. I know he's going to be a great dad."

Rangiku grinned. "Y'know how babies are made, right, Hime?" she teased.

Blushing, Orihime nodded, "Yeah. I took biology in college, Ran."

Leaning toward her friend, the strawberry-blonde smirked, "Now you know why he's so into the whole six-or-seven kids thing." With that, she sat back in her chair and sipped her drink.

Defensive, the younger woman refuted, "Ulquiorra's not like that, Ran. He loves me and he wants to have a family with me, not just have sex with me."

"Oh, sweetie, I never said he didn't!" Rangiku assured earnestly. "I know you two are going to have a great big family and everything, and that's great, but it's like me and Gin – making the baby is half the fun of having a baby! Not that my baby Miyuki isn't adorable, but-"

"Rangiku!" Nanao snapped. "Stop talking dirty and drink your booze!"

Pouting, Rangiku did as she was told.

Some time around one in the morning, Ulquiorra found himself on the couch in his apartment with a sticky note stuck to his forehead. His vision blurry, he read, "_Get some sleep and drink lots of water, dude. Don't want to be hungover for your wedding. Also, you suck at shot contests – Grimmjow._"

Almost awake, the pale man sat up, rubbed his eyes, and groaned softly as his head pounded. Cautious, he made his way to his kitchen and downed three glasses of water and four ibuprofen. As he had just lay down in bed, his phone rung in his back pocket.

Moaning, he managed to pull the cellphone out with minor difficultly. Pressing it to his ear, he murmured, "Hello?"

Her voice meek and quiet, Orihime greeted, "_Hey, Ulquiorra._"

Immediately, Ulquiorra sat up. Trying to sound like he wasn't drunk in the slightest, he asked, "What's up?"

There was a pause. Finally, the amber-haired girl admitted, "_I think I'm drunk. Like, really, really drunk_." Her crazed giggle confirmed it – she was drunk.

The emerald-eyed man smirked a bit. "Me too," he divulged.

"_So we both get to be hungover tomorrow?_"

"Not if we drink a lot of fluids and take fifty-some painkillers."

"_Ah – painkillers. Good idea_."

Over the phone, he heard the rattling of a bottle and urged, "I didn't actually mean take fifty painkillers."

Another pause followed. "_Oh. Good, because that sounded really weird. I'll just take three, then._" A moment later, she sighed and peeped, "_Ulquiorra?_"

"Yes?" he replied.

Worriedly, Orihime inquired, "_How much do you love me?_"

"Isn't that a line from a kid's book?"

"_Ulquiorra! I'm serious!_" she insisted, most surely pouting. "_I just... I know it's stupid and I'm just being drunk, but I need to hear you say it._"

Exhaling, Ulquiorra glanced out his window at the dark midnight sky. After a long, quiet moment, he whispered, "I love you more than the moon and more than the stars."

"_What about the sun? Do you love me more than that?_"

"The sun _is_ a star, but yes – I love you more than the sun," he affirmed, thinking, _You are my sun._

"_More than the rain?_"

"Yes."

"_More than the mountains and the seas?_"

"Undoubtedly."

"_More than the sky and the clouds and the birds?_"

"Absolutely."

"_More than-_"

"Orihime," Ulquiorra sighed. Closing his eyes, he murmured into the phone, "There is nothing I adore more than you."

"_Really? Nothing?_"

"Really. Nothing," he confirmed.

Giggling girlishly, Orihime returned, "_I love you more than anything, too. I can't wait for tomorrow. Well, today, I guess. How are your vows going? I bet they're done by now,_" she mumbled.

"Yes, they are," Ulquiorra answered.

When they had decided to recite their own vows along with the traditional vows at dinner one night, he had gone home and written his immediately. However, she had taken longer, so he had pretended he hadn't had his done until she had finished hers. They hadn't said them at the practice on purpose, so he was anxious to know what she had written.

"_Mine too,_" she affirmed. "_I just don't know-_"

"_Querida_, they're fine. Don't change a thing."

A pause followed. Finally, she whispered, "_I love you_."

"_Te amo tambien, mi mujer_," he responded.

"_Y'know, you really need to teach me Spanish some time_," Orihime giggled. "_I'd love to know what you're saying. Aside from 'amo.' I know that means love. And 'mi.' That means my._"

"Yes," Ulquiorra nodded, "yes, I do, and yes it does."

Another moment passed before she requested, "_Ulquiorra, I know it's supposed to be a surprise, but could you give me a preview of your vows? I just... I'm nervous. I'll read you some of mine, if you want, too!_"

"How much of a preview?"

"_Just a few sentences. Please?_"

Just barely smiling, he leaned back, his head on the pillows, and nodded. "All right. You listening?"

"_Yep!_"

He had memorized it over the past few months, and he mentally scanned through it to find his favorite part. Sighing, he began, "You complete me. There is no one who fills my heart as much as you do," he recited, "and there is no one I would rather spend the rest of my life with."

It had been short, but his deep, monotone voice had been full of hidden feeling. When he heard her sniffling, he knew his mission was complete. His plain words always had a way of touching her beyond what he ever expected, and now was an example.

With a nervous laugh, Orihime squeaked, "_Mine is junk compared to that._"

"Mine wasn't that good. I want to hear yours."

"_But it's not good!_" she whimpered.

He knew it was low, but he wanted to know what she had written. In the deepest, most enticing tone he could manage, he urged, "_Mujer, leas los a me._"

After a moment of unintelligible protest, she squealed, "_Oh, fine!_" Hoping he wouldn't hear, she grumbled, "_Darn sexy Spanish voice being all sexy and alluring and sexy and Spanish-y!_"

Ulquiorra smirked a bit, waiting patiently.

Knowingly, she muttered, "_I know you're smiling over there, so quit it, sexy Spanish one_." Before he could say anything more, she peeped, "_Okay. Here goes. You listening?_"

"Yes."

She cleared her throat, stalling for time before she finally started, "_Looking back, I see the past eleven years of my life. Every day, in every memory of high school I have, I can see you there, looking all grumpy and depressed. All that slowly fades into college when I think of it, and I see you in the foreground with me, playing ping pong or air hockey when I couldn't sleep, studying with me, and __talking about pretty much everything. With the memories around my brother's death, I can see you there, too, holding my hand and letting me cry on you all night. The three years after I graduated all full of memories with you, every one more wonderful than the last. I can't imagine my life getting any better, but we're about to take the next step into our lives with each other, and I know that all this is only the beginning. I'm hopeful and excited, and I know that every day will be the best day, because from today until forever, you're going to be next to me._"

There was a long, long pause. Finally, Orihime peeped, "_Ulquiorra_?" When he didn't answer, she repeated herself. Scoffing, she exclaimed, "_Did you fall asleep on me_? !"

"No," he replied. No, he hadn't fallen asleep. He had just been processing what she had said. "Today until forever," she had said. After another moment, he sighed, "Forever is a long time, _mujer_, but it's not nearly long enough."

Giggling, Orihime asked, "_How about eternity?_"

"Better, but still not long enough."

"_Well then... let's not say 'until death do us part' today. That way, we can be together even after eternity!_" she cheered.

Although he was pretty sure it didn't work that way, he agreed just to appease her.


	8. To Infinity and Beyond

**Thanks to lilarin and InfinitySign for reviewing!**

**On to the WE~~~~DING! XD**

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_To Infinity and Beyond_

Ulquiorra stood on the beach beneath the impermanent white arch, fidgeting with his cuffs. The preacher seemed completely at ease, unlike the groom. He glanced at the large, green tent back behind the chairs and all the people, waiting anxiously.

Finally, when the music began, his emerald eyed stared intently at the opening of the tent. In pairs, the people of honor came out. First came Grimmjow and Tatsuki, neither of them looking too happy to have to be paired with one another, then came Ichigo (who had only been asked to be a groomsman to appease Orihime's friends) and Rukia, followed by Rangiku last of all (Gin sat in the front of the left row of chairs, bouncing the strawberry-blonde, teal-eyed, three-month-old baby Miyuki on his knee). Orihime had wanted them each to have three people to accompany them, but Ulquiorra couldn't think of anyone he cared about enough to ask.

When Orihime emerged, accompanied by Uryu, Ulquiorra had to remind himself to breathe.

From her hair to her dress, everything about her screamed shimmering, flowing water nymph. Her long, amber strands lay long and loose and free, and her beautiful face was covered by a sparkly white veil. Her dress had short, flowing sleeves, and the fabric itself was shining and light. While the bodice framed her torso perfectly, the skirt was loose and draped over her long legs. The short train left trail behind her in the white sand, smoothing over the prints from her bare feet. In her hands, she held a bouquet of white roses and easter lilies. She had chosen them because she liked them without any regard to their meaning – pure love and grace. In his eyes, her choice couldn't have been more perfect.

Suddenly, he found that Grimmjow had been tapping him on the shoulder for a good three seconds before he noticed him. "Dude," the blunette chuckled lowly, "you okay?"

All Ulquiorra could do was nod, stare at the beautiful woman, and wonder how he could possibly have been lucky enough to be _marrying_ her. When she arrived at the arch, she embraced her dear friend, handed over her bouquet to Tatsuki, and turned to smile through her veil at the groom. Hesitantly, they grasped one another's hands, the warmth of their touch soothing both of their nerves.

"Dearly beloved," Reverend Tōsen began, "we gather here today to witness the joining of Ulquiorra Esmado Cifer and Orihime Pureshasu Inoue in the bonds of holy matrimony. On this day, these two people have chosen to entwine their lives and their fates together, and we happy family by spirit stand as witnesses to this joining.

"Today, they bring the fullness of their hearts as a precious treasure to share with one another. They bring their dreams for their future which bind them together in eternal commitment. They bring their gifts, talents, unique personalities, and spirits, which God will unite together into one as they begin to build their life together. We rejoice with them in thankfulness to the Lord for creating this union of hearts built on friendship, respect, and love," the preacher recited.

The pastor's serious, blind eyes stared at them both as he continued, "Allow me to remind you both that your future joy and prosperity is to be found in mutual consideration, patience, kindness, confidence, and affection. Ulquiorra Esmado Cifer, it is your duty to love your wife as yourself, provide gentle leadership, and protect her from danger.

"Orihime Pureshasu Inoue, it is your duty to treat your husband with respect, support him, and create a healthy, happy home. It is both of your duties, and hopefully privileges, to find the greatest joy in the company of the other; to remember that in interest and affection, your hearts belong to one and one alone."

Again turning to the groom, the dark-skinned preacher asked, "Do you understand and accept this responsibility, Ulquiorra?"

Ulquiorra nodded and uttered, "Yes, I do."

Returning his blind gaze to the young woman, the pastor questioned, "And do you understand and accept this responsibility, Orihime?"

Unable to speak, Orihime nodded and blinked away tears.

"In the joyous spirit of commiserating the joining of their hearts," Reverend Tōsen announced, "the couple have written their own vows, and will be reciting them along with the traditional vows." The blind man gestured for the pale man to start.

For a long moment, Ulquiorra stared into her autumn eyes through her veil. They calmed the freaking fire in his chest and spread a comfortable warmth through his very bones, but he still glanced down at their joined hands before he could begin.

"As I am about to recite my vows that will bind me to you for eternity," he sighed, "I must warn you of one thing." _Pause for dramatic effect..._ "While I wrote this, I discovered that my adoration for you cannot be contained in a few sentences. Therefore, the vow I have written is rather lengthy and winded, and for that I apologize in advance." A slight laugh rippled through those who had gathered, and the sound of her light giggle soothed his soul.

Still staring at her hands, he continued, "When you first met me that day in physical science class, all the way back in ninth grade, I must admit I thought very little of you. Your remark – the one about me having a black cloud over my head – hadn't amused me at all, since I had heard it so often, and I thought of you as an annoyance. It wasn't until I realized that you were the sunny day to my cloudy sky that I began to love you." A collective "aw" seemed to rise from their friends.

Abashed, Ulquiorra began stroking her hands with his thumbs, reveling in the feel of her soft skin beneath the pads of his fingers. "Even so, it wasn't until our senior year that I truly fell in love with you. At the senior prom..." He paused here, not wanting to say it in public. Nonetheless, it was their wedding – they were putting their emotions and thoughts on display already, so why not? "It was the first time I ever saw you wearing green. It lit your eyes like autumn leaves and made your skin glow... it contrasted you so deeply that in a single glance, I acknowledged how beautiful you were – _are_. How beautiful you _are_," he corrected, feeling his cheeks redden as Grimmjow snickered behind him.

Another long moment passed before he went on. "When we became friends in college, I thought I would die from the joy. By the time we actually called each other 'friend,' I was... obsessed with you. Each moment I was with you was cloud nine, and every moment we were apart was the depths of despair." Reluctantly, he admitted, "Some days, it's still like that. Despite my obsession, nothing brought me more joy than being your friend – listening to you, making you laugh, making pointless conversation with you... I loved every moment. After I scraped up the courage to ask you out, you said yes." Scoffing, he murmured, "You said _yes_, and I still can't get it though my head how lucky I was to have found someone who didn't mind my black cloud days or my sarcasm or my brutal honesty.

"These past three years have been the happiest of my life," Ulquiorra whispered, finally glancing up and meeting her gaze again. He found her eyes were full of tears and her veil was sticking to her cheeks, but she was grinning. Comforted that he wasn't the only one feeling emotional, he continued, "I want nothing more than to spent each day of the rest of my life beside you. Whether they're as perfect as these three years have been or harder than anything either of us have ever experienced, I want to embark on this adventure with you. You complete me. There is no one who fills my heart as much as you do," he repeated, his voice just as low and passionate as it had been the night before, "and there is no one I would rather spend the rest of my life with."

Recognizing that the groom was done, Reverend Tōsen poised, "Ulquiorra Esmado Cifer, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, in joy and sorrow, and through all trials, until death do you part?"

"No." Ignoring the shocked gasps and knowing they would quickly be remedied, Ulquiorra looked at her smiling face and professed, "The love I hold for you cannot be severed by death. Death cannot part us. Even in Heaven, we will remain side by side," he promised, "together, beyond forever and beyond eternity's gates."

At this, everyone relaxed and went into squee mode.

Annoyed at having the ceremony interrupted, the dark reverend questioned, "Do you or do you not take her to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Ulquiorra nodded. "I do."

"Orihime," the pastor moved on, "you may recite your vows."

Blushing beneath her veil, Orihime admitted, "My vows aren't nearly as eloquent as yours, but... but they're even longer." She giggled nervously, but a gentle hand-squeeze comforted her back into content silence.

Another moment passed before she began, "Ulquiorra, I love you. I don't think I'll ever be able to say that enough times throughout my life, so I might say it a dozen or so times during this. I really love you. Because I love you," she sighed, "I want to be with you for forever and eternity, and a gazillion years beyond that. I want to raise a family with you, and I want to see _our_children and _our_ grandchildren following in our footsteps, at least in finding the one person who was created for them.

"I... I really think that's it. It wasn't some odd twist of fate or some buck up of courage or willpower on either of our parts." Staring deeply into his sparkling emerald eyes, she insisted, "I think we were created for each other. From the moment of our conceptions, we were entwined and tangled together by... by fate or by destiny or by God or by a little red string or something!"

After a giggly pause, she once again became genuine as she went on, "My life without you would be hollow. Looking back, I see the past eleven years of my life. Every day, in every memory of high school I have, I can see you there, looking all grumpy and depressed.

"All that slowly fades into college when I think of it, and I see you in the foreground with me, playing ping pong or air hockey when I couldn't sleep, studying with me, and talking about pretty much everything," she shrugged, glad she could finally see his expression. His slight smile lit one of her own and she added solemnly, "With the memories around my brother's death, I can see you there, too, holding my hand and letting me cry on you all night."

Another moment interrupted her before she sighed and smiled, "The three years after I graduated are all full of memories with you, every one more wonderful than the last. I can't imagine my life getting any better, but we're about to take the next step into our lives with each other, and I know that all this is only the beginning. I'm hopeful and excited, and I know that every day will be the best day, because from today until forever, you're going to be next to me.

"Ulquiorra," she declared, "I never want to spend a day of my life without saying that I love you. Even if you're halfway across the world cataloging some new species of daisy, I want call you or send you a letter and let you know that I love you every day. Without my love for you," she confessed, "I'm really nothing. I know you see me as everything, and I love that, but if I didn't know that you loved me and I wasn't sure if I loved you, I would be an empty and just plain weird kind of person.

"I love you, Ulquiorra Esmado Cifer," Orihime whispered, "and I will love you..." She paused before suddenly laughing, "To infinity and beyond, I'll love you! Beyond the stars and beyond the galaxies and beyond the universe, I'll love you. Beyond eternity and beyond Heaven and Hell, I'll love you through and through, and every day of my life will be spent loving you until, y'know, the universe implodes on itself and we all sink into a black hole and everything," she rambled, giggling all the while.

Ulquiorra had a feeling she hadn't planned the whole "infinity and beyond" and "black hole" thing, but he smiled anyways.

Nodding, Reverend Tōsen recited, "Orihime Pureshasu Inoue, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, and through all trials, un-" the man cut himself off, correcting, "From this day forward?"

Grinning brilliantly, Orihime affirmed, "I do."

The pastor gestured to Grimmjow and Tatsuki, and they each held out the rings.

Taking the gold band from the blunette, the preacher handed it to the groom. "These rings are symbols of eternity. They are outward signs of an inward and spiritual bond which unites two hearts in endless love. Now, as a token of your love, and your desire to forever be united in heart and soul, you, Ulquiorra, may place the ring on the finger of your bride."

Cradling her hand, Ulquiorra slid the band onto her finger until it rested just above her engagement ring. Unlike her engagement ring, it was yellow gold, and diamonds circled the entire band. It glittered on her finger, and it took a moment before he remembered to say, "With this ring, I thee wed."

"By the same token, Orihime, you may place the ring on the finger of your groom," Reverend Tōsen instructed, taking the ring from the maid of honor and handing it to the amber-haired woman.

While there were no diamonds on it, the band she had gotten for him was thick, solid gold, and in the afternoon sunlight, it shimmered wonderfully as she slipped it onto his finger. "With this ring," she whispered, smiling and finding his eyes, "I thee wed."

When they had taken one another's hands again, the reverend barely smiled and announced, "By the power invested in me by the State of California and the Church of Disciples in Christ Jesus, I now pronounce you as husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Careful with the delicate, sheer silk, Ulquiorra lifted the veil over her face. With a small, tender smile, he caressed her cheek with his thumb and opened his mouth in the hopes of saying something sappy and sweet.

"Oh, just kiss her already!" Grimmjow groaned loudly, shoving his friend forward.

Their lips met in a sloppy mash, but after the momentary shock their angle adjusted and Orihime wrapped her arms around her husband's neck, giggling brightly as he pulled her close. The applause faded away and they became completely obsessed with the thought that this kiss was celebrating the fact that they were _married_, now and forever and beyond. Finally, though, they had to breathe, and since everyone was still clapping when they came to their senses, they figured they hadn't been immersed in one another for too long.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Reverend Tōsen declared, "I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Cifer!"

The applause doubled, and even Gin dabbed his eyes (although no one could tell if he was joking or actually tearing up...).

Without warning, Ulquiorra swept his woman off her feet and into his arms. Screeching and giggling, she clung to him and kissed his cheek as he carried her down the aisle.

When they reached the limousine, Orihime scooted across the leather seats and giggled breathlessly. The instant Ulquiorra had settled beside her, she grabbed his deep emerald tie, pulled him down to her level, and kissed him insistently.

However, only a moment after Ulquiorra had reciprocated, Grimmjow opened the door, glanced at the entwined pair, and teased, "Save it for the honeymoon, sister. We're comin' in, and _no one_wants to see you two goin' at each other like rabbits."

Squeaking, Orihime blushed eight shades of red, let go of Ulquiorra, and moved into her own little area.

As Grimmjow entered, followed by the wary, orange-haired groomsman and the three giddy bridesmaids, Ulquiorra glared at the blunette and questioned, "'Sister'?"

Scoffing, Grimmjow retorted, "What do y'want me t'call her, 'babe'? 'Sweet-cheeks'?"

"'Sister' is fine."

"Yeah, I thought so," the electric-blue-eyed man snorted.

"I don't mind!" Orihime smiled. "I kinda like it. It fits, too, since you two are kind of like brothers."

Both of them glanced at her as if she was speaking nonsense.

"No, we aren't!" Grimmjow refuted.

Perplexed, Ulquiorra asked, "Where did you possibly get this idea from?"

"It's not like we ever agree on anything," the blunette huffed.

"That's not completely true. We agree on things sometimes," the emerald-eyed man corrected.

Scoffing, Grimmjow exclaimed, "See? !"

"You're an idiot."

"Your mom!"

"Your face."

Orihime's giggling interrupted them both. Hugging her husband's arm, she nuzzled his shoulder and sighed, "I love you."

Disappointed, Grimmjow asked, "What about me?"

Outright laughing, the bride nodded, "I like you, too, Grimmy."

The blunette glared at his friend. Before it could be hidden, he spotted the victorious amusement in those emerald eyes. Bluntly, Grimmjow spat, "You suck. I'm serious – you really, really suck, Cifer."

Ulquiorra merely shrugged and sat back on the leather seat.

The next hour was spent mingling, receiving congratulations, and kissing whenever the rapid _plink_ing of glasses sounded through the arboretum.

When it was time to cut the cake, the newly married couple sampled the vanilla cake (they both loved chocolate, but she had decided that she couldn't bear to get a chocolate stain on her wedding dress) at the same time. Before Ulquiorra could go for a second bite, Orihime had smeared his nose with frosting, laughed, kissed the bridge of his nose, and licked her lips. Unaware that this was part of the whole "cutting the cake" ritual, Ulquiorra stared at her like she had gone nuts.

Rolling her autumn eyes, she outright plunged her hand into her cake and wiped her palm on his cheek. As she cleaned the frosting from his skin, she whispered, "Go on! Put some frosting wherever you want to kiss!"

At the suggestion, Ulquiorra blushed. Deciding that more than half the places he had thought of were not at _all_ considered proper decorum, he settled for covering her lips with cake and kissing her until she was breathless (and clean).

The night continued with graceful dancing, toasting, champagne, and dizzy, clumsy dancing after a few glasses of the champagne.

At around eleven, the party ended, the pair changed (he merely removed his tie and jacket while she changed into a long, flowing pink sundress), and they climbed into the limousine. The trunk had already been packed with their luggage, and the limousine dropped them off at the airport.

Much more sober and awake than his wife, Ulquiorra got the tickets, checked in their luggage, and guided them both through security and into the labyrinth of the airport. Their flight left at twelve-fifteen, so when they arrived at eleven-forty, he instructed her to sit down and _stay_ while he got her some water and ibuprofen.

When the newlywed man returned, his found his wife breathing slowly, asleep. Sitting beside her, he watched the time, stroked her soft cheek, and played with her silky hair while she slept. Twenty minutes later, he ended up carrying her onto the plane, earning himself smiles from the pilot and stewardesses. With as much finesse as possible, he set her in the window-seat and buckled her in while he himself sat toward the aisle. When the plane took off, she had fallen against his shoulder and begun to snore a little bit.

When the green light went on and the bleached-blonde stewardess asked him if they needed anything, he finally noticed that they were the only people on the plane. Although he refused any refreshment for himself, he did ask for a blanket.

The lady came back and helped him draw the blanket over the sleeping woman. To the emerald-eyed man's surprise, she sat down across the aisle and smiled.

"Going to Hawaii with your girlfriend?" she conversed in a friendly tone.

Raising a thick, black eyebrow in perplexity and mild suspicion, Ulquiorra raised his left hand without a word, showing the airplane attendant the brand new, shiny ring.

With a giddy gasp, the young woman inquired, "Honeymoon? Just Hawaii, or-"

"France. Paris, to be exact. We'll be flying over Asia and much of Europe in two weeks," he answered. "Two weeks later, we'll be returning home."

Smiling, the blonde asked, "And then? Did you two find a cozy apartment somewhere, or is one of you moving in with another?"

Perhaps he was tired and still half-drunk, but he really had no aversion to talking to this woman. Glancing at his wife (he loved that thought. _His_ wife), he ensured she was actually asleep and murmured, "House."

Mouth open wide, the stewardess scoffed in a shocked whisper, "You bought her a house _and_ a month-long honeymoon? !"

Ulquiorra nodded. "In the San Bernardino Valley suburbs." Closing his eyes, he could visualize the off-white siding, the wide windows, the shiny hardwood floors, and the enormous kitchen, not to mention the huge backyard. "It's really lovely."

"What are you, a doctor?" the young woman asked, incredulous.

"Botanist," the emerald-eyed man corrected. Dryly, he added, "And frugal. When it comes to myself, I tend to be rather cheap, but with her..." Glancing at her beautiful, peaceful form, he mumbled, "I tend to be... averagely lavish."

"Mister, this is far above average," the flight attendant huffed. "If you think she's in love with you know, she'll be doubly in love when she discovers you bought her a house." When she spotted the pale man yawning, the blonde smiled and offered, "I'll let you sleep. If you need anything more, my name is Sarah." With that, the lady stood and headed back up front.

Sighing, Ulquiorra rested his head against the headrest and looked at the animate, colorful woman beside him. She spread warmth and a full, rich pleasure through him merely when he glanced at her. The feel of her fingers entwined with his sent a dream-like euphoria to his head. Added by the fading alcohol in his system and how exhausted he was, he soon realized that he was falling asleep. Resting his head atop hers, he closed his emerald eyes and soon slept with the scent of his wife in his dreams.


	9. On Top of the World

**Thanks to ulquihime7980, Ugnyte, InfinitySign, and Kohryu for reviewing!**

**Feel free to tell me if I need to up the rating... although I doubt I will have to. Still, if I do, tell me.**

* * *

_On Top of the World_

The hotel on the beach had five dozen levels, and atop them all was the honeymoon suite.

Ulquiorra watched Orihime with extreme interest as they stood in the red and gold elevator. Their luggage on the floor, she had both hands to cling to his arm. All sixty and a half levels up, she bounced and squealed at random intervals, excitement shining through her eyes. Glee filled the air, and she said nothing, but she giggled constantly.

When the elevator dinged and the number read "_60½,_" Orihime stopped breathing. The pair stepped out into an open space and stared at the door.

Offering the electronic card-key to his woman, Ulquiorra asked, "Would you like to do the honors?"

Speedily, Orihime shook her head.

Calm as ever, the emerald-eyed man slid the key in and out and opened the door. His breath on her ear, he whispered, "Go inside."

While he wasn't sure if she was obeying or escaping him, but either way, the way she squeaked and skittered forward amused him to no end. Of course, he followed her into the room, closing the door.

On the other three sides of the room, there were three curtains. With the swiftness of a gazelle, Orihime threw off all three curtains, finding that they not only had direct access to a roof patio, but they had an all-around view of the smaller Hawaiian island, including several islands nearby. They could see for miles just by looking out the window.

Upon discovering this, Orihime immediately began hyperventilating. Scampering from window to window, she waved her hands about, squealed, bounced, spun in wild circles, and generally acted like an excited toddler. Unable to breathe, she panted, "Oh! Oh my... oh my g..." Finding no words, she screamed, stomped her feet, and flapped her hands in a weird flippy-hand-dance.

Ulquiorra stood beside the east window, watching the sun sparkle on the ocean water below. The sky seemed just within reach. The tourist island below had been chosen for its quaintness and peace. From the top of the hotel, it appeared to be so. It was a beautiful view, he decided, but as he watched his wife dance around the room, he decided she was much more beautiful than any view he might ever see.

When she had calmed a bit, he asked, "Do you like it?"

Shocked, Orihime whirled around and stared at him. A huge grin broke out over her lips and she squealed, "I _love it_! This is so faboo!"

Confused, Ulquiorra questioned, "_Mujer..._ 'faboo'?"

"Yeah!" she nodded, "like fabulous!"

Shaking his head, the emerald-eyed man smirked only slightly and whispered, "I will never understand you. I love you, but I will never understand you."

Orihime pranced up to her husband, flung her arms around his neck, and kissed him sweetly. Pulling away, she grinned and giggled, "If you did, I would be boring, and you wouldn't love me like you do."

He didn't reply, but she was right – he wouldn't love her the same way if she was predictable. He would still love her, but he would love her differently.

While she had been distracted with the outside, he had taken minor note of the interior. To start with, there was a mini-kitchen with a fridge, freezer, coffee maker, and a microwave, pineapple-decorated couch, a dresser, a TV and regular hotel-room accessories. A door led to the bathroom, which he hadn't looked at yet, but he was sure it was huge. The bed was about twice the size of a California King bed, but, oddly enough, it was round. White and green sheets covered the enormous bed, and ten pillows were arranged neatly at the front.

Ulquiorra knew full well why the bed was so large and why it was so oddly shaped. Upon the inspection of the bathroom, with its massive hot-tub bath and abnormally large shower, he discovered that the suite had been constructed entirely with sex in mind. That was what most couples did on their honeymoon, he supposed, but then again, he and Orihime weren't "most couples."

"Ulquiorra! Look at all the free stuff the hotel gave us!" Orihime exclaimed, shoving about twenty pamphlets in his face.

As he flipped through them, he noticed that each one had to do with something romantic, and that each one was free, or at least majorly discounted, to the occupants of the honeymoon suite. Included was a luau, hula dancing lessons, massages, restaurant coupons, and a dozen other this-and-that things.

"Oh my gosh, I want to do everything!" the amber-haired woman giggled, taking all the brochures again when he handed them over and flipping through them with abandon. Shuffling back, she sat on the bed, lay down to sort through the coupons, and suddenly paused. "Dude!" she exclaimed. "This bed is huge! You could fit eight people on here! It's so cool!"

Blinking, Ulquiorra sighed. _Yep. Definitely designed for horny freaks._ "Yes, _mujer_. It is quite 'cool'," he replied. Changing the topic all too eagerly, he offered, "What would you like to do tonight?"

After a moment, Orihime answered simply, "Food. Sleep. Much sleep."

"That is what we shall do, then," the emerald-eyed man decided. "Shall we go to the hotel restaurant? It's just down the elevator."

The young woman nodded. "I'll need to change first," she remarked. "I love this dress, but this place is just so fancy... Besides, I have a new green dress I've been dying to show you!" With that, she leapt off the bed, grabbing the smaller suitcase of hers and scampering into the bathroom.

Sighing, Ulquiorra sat on the bed and waited. He couldn't understand why she desired to beautify herself when she already looked perfect. He cared little about his appearance (except for the fact that she liked it), but for her sake, he changed into a clean, white shirt.

Hand in hand, they went down to the restaurant. They were led to a secluded table in the back, were served the special (some pineapple-y tropical fish), and ordered chocolate cake. They shared it, her eating more than him, but when they finished, he paid what little there was of their bill and lead them back upstairs.

Although he had stared at her all night, he firmly decided on the way she really did make the color green look beautiful. Green, white, blue, pink, yellow, orange... on second thought, she made everything look good.

"Tomorrow, we can go swimming, and then there's a hula lessons at the hotel!" she babbled as he unlocked the door. "We can go shopping, I can find one of those grass skirts and a bra that looks like a coconut, and then we can do everything else!"

"Sounds wonderful," Ulquiorra confirmed. Drawing his pajamas from his bag, he allowed Orihime to use the bathroom while he changed in the bedroom.

As the world faded, he closed the curtains to block out the last of the light. Laying near the center of the bed, he closed his eyes, crossed his arms behind his head, and sighed. Comfortable, he kept his eyes closed and his body still even as he heard the amber-haired woman departing the bathroom.

For the first time, she snuggled up against him in bed. True, they had snuggled many times before, and she had even fallen asleep upon him, but it had never been in a bed. Even when he would set her in bed after she passed out on him, he had never laid down with her.

"Ulquiorra?" Orihime whispered. When he didn't respond, she draped her arm over his chest, turned onto her stomach, and stared at his peaceful face. "Are you asleep?"

Without opening his eyes, Ulquiorra breathed, "No. Are you?"

The amber-haired woman giggled and kissed his cheek. "I love it when you make jokes that are actually funny." Resting her head on his shoulder, she began to trace spirals on him through the fabric of his grey t-shirt. He exhaled, but didn't respond otherwise. "Hey, Ulquiorra?" she asked after a time.

Her gentle fingers were already testing his patience, and if that wasn't bad enough, every breath he took was laced with a hypnotic scent that was purely _her_. "Hm?" he murmured.

"I love you. Thank you for all of this. I can't imagine how much-"

"Don't. It doesn't matter."

Groaning, she protested, "It does. You know I hate it when people spend money on me – it's not fair to you that you paid for everything."

Ulquiorra sighed. Opening his eyes, he met her gaze before uttering, "I know you dislike it, but you're going to have to get used to it, because I've already paid for the hotels and bought the airline tickets. I won't let you pay for our meals – it's just improper decorum – and if you want something, I have money set aside for shopping. I have thought of everything, and everything is already in place," he explained, "and if you were to pay for anything during this, it would disrupt my system."

"Oh, go double-dip your system in chocolate and coat it with nuts!" Orihime huffed, an adamant look filling her autumn eyes. "You can at least let me pay the tip at the restaurants and buy my own stuff."

"No."

"Yes!" the newlywed woman insisted. "Look, I'll make a deal with you. I pay the tips, you pay for the meal. I buy all my own souvenir junk, but you can buy me one thing every day. If we do anything like a parasailing or surfing lessons, you can pay for the lessons and I can pay for renting the gear."

Ulquiorra's emerald eyes glared at her warily, obvious reluctance and dislike of the idea showing through his gaze.

Stroking his cheek, Orihime rationalized, "Ulquiorra, we're married_. _We share everything – our feelings, our hearts, our lives, our _expenses_. When we get home after all of this wonderful stuff, reality is going to slap us in the face if you just do everything, and I'm going to get spoiled! Please," she pleaded, "let's get used to the whole 'paying for everything together' now. I know you want to shower me with goodies," she giggled, "and I love your generous side, but I can't enjoy it if I know I'm financially ruining _us_ because of it!"

The emerald-eyed man paused. She had a point, but he didn't like it. It was a very good point, actually, and that merely served to irritate him. When it came to himself, he was, as Grimmjow had put it, "one effin' cheap bastard." However, when it came to Orihime, he wanted her to have everything she could ever want. Now, though, she didn't want what he wanted to give her, and it confused him. Didn't girls like it when guys bought things for them? She had always liked it, but then again, they hadn't spent every day together. Even so, of the time, the most he gave her were flowers or chocolate, unless it was a holiday or they were together and she wanted something.

Everything was different, and yet it was the same. It messed with his brain a bit, but he realized that she was adamant about this. Her proposition was reasonable and it left him room to pamper her, but he was still reluctant.

After another minute, her imploring, adorable, pleading autumn eyes brought him to his metaphorical knees and Ulquiorra sighed, nodding. "It is agreeable," he murmured.

Adoration lit Orihime's face and she grinned. Cuddling even closer, she kissed him soundly, giggled, and lay her head on his shoulder again.

Another few minutes of peaceful silence passed while they enjoyed each other's presence.

Blinking, she lifted her amber head again and smiled with an expression of awe. "I just realized something," she whispered.

His emerald eyes had closed again, and without moving anything but his lips he asked, "What is that, _querida_?"

"We just had our first fight!" she squealed, somehow excited by the fact.

At this, Ulquiorra gave her an incredulous glance. "And this is good?" he inquired.

Turning pouty, Orihime murmured, "Well, we've never argued before. We've not even had a 'no, I'd rather do this' before."

"You find arguing pleasant?" He found it difficult to believe that she _wanted_ to disagree with him.

"No, silly," she huffed, exasperated. "I just mean that it's... new and abnormal and... different. I know it's not technically a _good_ thing, but it wasn't so bad," she pointed out. When he didn't reply, her eyes widened and she peeped, "Was it?"

The raven-haired man shook his head. "It wasn't bad. I'd still rather pay for everything, but your compromise is acceptable," he shrugged. "Also," he added scientifically, "it wasn't a fight. Fighting defined as 'to take part in a violent physical struggle.' It was more of an argument, or a debate, or a disagreement. Technically, we have not fought. We have merely believed two different things about one subject."

Orihime had held in her laughter until her husband finished. When he closed his mouth, she snickered, giggling, and cackled breathlessly, burying herself in pillows to muffle her guffaws. Through a mouthful of down pillow, she snorted, "You're so hilarious!"

Ulquiorra sat up on his elbows, confused. "I wasn't attempting to be funny, _mujer_. I am serious. We have not fought, nor shall we ever fight as the dictionary definition describes it. Although I enjoy being right, I would never escalate to violence to prove a point," he stated with a firm tone.

Still giggling, the amber-haired woman pointed out, "You used to fight with Grimmjow all the time!"

"Yes, but it was not because we disagreed about something," the pale man muttered. "We merely enjoyed beating the crap out of one another."

"I never understood that," the autumn-eyed woman remarked.

"We were hormone-driven, addlepated, moronic teenaged boys. God knows why we did half the things we did."

Sighing contently, Orihime lay her head on his chest and listened to his steady heartbeat. "I love you."

"Changing the subject?"

"Huh? Oh, no!" she urged, blushing. "I just thought you were done. I couldn't really see where you were going with that."

"Ah." Again, Ulquiorra settled down and closed his eyes. He was just about to fall asleep with the rhythm of her breathing and the scent of her in his mind when she spoke again.

"Ulquiorra?"

"Yes, _mujer_?" he inquired with the utmost patience.

"Are you... never mind," she squeaked, burying herself into his shoulder.

"Am I what, _mujer_?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go to sleep or if you wanted to talk more because I'm sleepy," Orihime rambled, speaking far too hurriedly for it to be true.

Ulquiorra made no comment and nodded. "I am tired as well."

"Oh. Good." Exhaling, she relaxed and closed her eyes as well. "Good night, m'love."

"Good night, _querida._"

All night, they slept more comfortably than they ever had before, content in one another's warmth.


End file.
